I wish Flybe and all who work therein success and there certainly is some energy around change, big changes taking hold especially with the start of the summer season . I was amazed as I heard someone talking about the purple Flybe planes flying into BHD during the week. Others responded by saying they saw it too. And these dont work in aviation...
From my perspective as an observer in BE as I don't work for/ with them is that they have exited some routes that costs are prohibitive on and LOCO's are working hard on eg LGW routes/ easyJet routes. The suggestion was that BE would specialise and focus on regional flying. Perhaps my interpretation of the various presentations that were made public was wrong. I got it that they would focus on thinner routes (and by inference suitable to lower fuel burn and size Q400s rather than to airbus / Boeing at a suitable frequency, FR ezy).
What the strategy says and is being rumoured here are quite different. Suggestions that 319s may be employed, suggests that longer sectors mag be in the offing , would this not be putting them in a much more coveted space by FR and EZY or is it that they feel the combination of larger ac for peak business routes would work with sun routes being served off peak? Can see the logic in that bit but feel it is quite knee jerk.
Suggestions of LCY are surprising to say the least. Firstly being such a high cost airport and secondly creating a gap in some markets ie I mean exiting markets like BHD London only to return in September as suggested means a gap of 5 months and time and money involved re-establishing that. LCY comes with it's own challenges not only peak and seasonality but the activity of other carriers in the same space .
Ultimately my concern is a lack of joined up thinking and coherent strategy but alas adding of Stobart Air is a vote of confidence in the brand and is progress for the company ...